Real Madrid v Atlético Madrid: final preview
Friday, May 27, 2016
Article summary
Diego Simeone says Atlético Madrid's hard work and ability to reinvent and improve themselves has been crucial while Zinédine Zidane wants Real Madrid to "leave everything on the field".
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Article body
- Real Madrid and Atlético to meet in second Champions League final in three seasons
- Repeat of 2014 final, when Real Madrid came back to beat Atlético in extra time
- Madrid also triumphed 1-0 over two legs in last season's quarter-finals
- Diego Simeone: "Only winning will satisfy me now"
- Zinédine Zidane says above all Real Madrid must "run: run, run run"
Possible lineups
Real Madrid: Navas; Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo; Casemiro, Kroos, Modrić; Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo.
Out: Varane (hamstring)
Doubtful: none
Atlético: Oblak; Juanfran, Godín, Savić, Filipe Luís; Koke, Gabi, Fernández, Ñíguez; Griezmann, Torres.
Out: none
Doubtful: none
- San Siro's three previous European Cup finals
- Cristiano Ronaldo v Atlético: Will he score?
- Fantasy Real Madrid and Atlético combined XI
Zinédine Zidane, Madrid coach
Ronaldo has been feeling a bit of pain but he's OK. He'll be there 100%. He has a little niggle, but that disappears when you're going to play in a Champions League final.
It's going to be a difficult game for sure, extremely difficult, but we already know this and we're prepared for it. We've had two weeks to prepare and now the players want the ball to start rolling.
I see the players the same as in Lisbon. We're one game away. We're all very happy to be in this final. We're ready for this, and that's the big word: we're ready to play. We've worked hard to achieve this. I'm happy with the work we've carried out. We've suffered a lot, but reaching a final without suffering is impossible. We know how to do that and that's what we'll have to do again, no doubt. In a final it's perfectly normal to have difficulties. If you want to win it, you have to suffer.
Losing will not be a failure. Failure is in your attitude, or if you don't give your all. It's just a football game. You never know what will happen but I can tell you we're very prepared. [Since 2014] some players have left but the idea of this club is always the same. It's the great story: unity, effort, companionship and, when the time comes to play, quality and leaving everything on the field. We want to repeat that.
When the match begins I'll be a bit more tense [than as a player] but that's usual too – it's part of the coaching job. I like it, I like this kind of pressure. I've experienced it as a player but as a coach it's completely different. Carlo Ancelotti used to tell me that often. He told me before the final in Lisbon: "I hope you experience this some day as head coach." Here we are, so I keep thinking of Carlo.
Above all you have to defend well, first and foremost, especially when you don't have the ball. On top of that, we have our weapons to work well when we're attacking. What we really have to do is run: run, run, run.
Does Zidane make your All-time EURO 11?
Diego Simeone, Atlético coach
The game will be very tense, very even, especially at the beginning. Casemiro enables them to regroup better if they lose the ball. Whoever wins the early battles in midfield will have an advantage – Madrid, with their technical qualities, might try to play more.
The club, the players, the group we've created, is reinventing itself continuously. That's what is most valuable at this club. Everyone works with the idea of improving, growing, and that's life – if you work, work, work, eventually you get what you want.
To play a final is absolutely fantastic, to win it is even better. That experience makes you want to continue living these moments. It's not easy; you have to pick yourself up, keep inventing yourself, change the players but not change the commitment, the values, the work. If you keep working, you're insistent, you can achieve things.
We're not really going to change much for this game – neither team will. Madrid haven't changed much [since 2014]; we've changed more but we have the same structure. Casemiro makes Madrid a lot more dangerous on the counterattack – that's how they played in both [semi-final] legs against Manchester City. Many people think that's bad – not me. There could be different situations during the game but it's clear that, if you give Madrid space, they're very dangerous.
I like to have 113 years of history on my back – I like that, I love the pressure. Only winning would satisfy me.
Most recent results
Deportivo La Coruña 0-2 Real Madrid (Ronaldo 7 25)
The Merengues' slim hopes of snatching the title from Barcelona on the last day ultimately came to naught as Luis Suárez led the Catalans to a comfortable win at Granada. Madrid did what they could, and Cristiano Ronaldo's early goal meant that for 15 minutes Zidane's men even topped the provisional table. Ronaldo hit a second soon after – his 35th in the league this term – but Madrid were destined to finish runners-up by a point.
Atlético Madrid 2-0 Celta Vigo (Torres 51, Griezmann 54)
Atlético, already fated to come third, ended their domestic campaign with a routine victory. Fernando Torres opened the scoring following a fiery, if goalless, opening 45 minutes at the Estadio Vicente Calderón. Antoine Griezmann then overtook Radamel Falcao as the club's top marksman of the Simeone era, with his 44th strike in that frame. The clean sheet meant ever-present Jan Oblak conceded just 18 in the Liga season, equalling Francisco Liaño's Spanish top-flight record.
Form guide (all competitions, most recent first)
Real Madrid: WWWWDW
Atlético Madrid: WLLWWW
Reporter's view: Andrew Haslam (@UEFAcomAndrewH)
This is the fourth European Cup final in Milan, and the first in 15 years, but none of the others had such a local flavour. Real Madrid's dramatic defeat of Atlético in Lisbon two years ago was the first European final between teams from the same city and Atlético will not lack for motivation as they seek a first European Cup, while Madrid have the pedigree.
Simeone's side are unbeaten in domestic fixtures against their opponents since that galling 2014 reversal (W5 D3) and, if they can finally translate that form to the continental stage, they could become the 23rd club to lift the trophy.
View from Madrid: Joseph Walker (@UEFAcomJoeW)
Simeone and Atlético will attempt to avenge their heartbreak of two years ago as they take on their great city rivals. Atlético will be full of confidence, having lost just once in the last ten meetings between the teams, and knocked out both Barcelona and Bayern München on their way to this final.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, will feel they have the psychological advantage following what happened in Lisbon – and the fact their one victory in the last ten derbies came in last season's UEFA Champions League.
Did you know?
This is the sides' fourth European Cup tie, and Real Madrid have won the previous three: the 1958/59 semi-final, the 2014 final and last term's quarter-final. Find out more in our extensive match background.